Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 22 June 2021

Overview

Global numbers of cases and deaths continued to decrease over the past week (14-20 June 2021) with just over 2.5 million new weekly cases and over 64 000 deaths, a 6% and a 12% decrease respectively, compared to the previous week. While the number of cases reported globally now exceeds 177 million, the lowest weekly case incidence since February 2021 was reported last week. Globally, mortality remains high with more than 9000 deaths reported each day over the past week, however, the number of new deaths reported in the past week decreased across all Regions except for the Eastern Mediterranean and the African Regions.

In this edition, a special focus update is provided on SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest (VOIs) and Variants of Concern (VOCs) Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), and Delta (B.1.617.2). This includes updates on emerging evidence surrounding the phenotypic characteristics of VOCs (transmissibility, disease severity, risk of reinfection, and impacts on diagnostics and vaccine performance), as well as updates on the geographic distribution of VOCs.

This edition also includes a summary of a Global Consultation on SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and their Impact on Public Health Interventions.